Syria Parries Israel With Verbal Strike

By

Sam Dagher and

Farnaz Fassihi in Beirut, and

Joshua Mitnick in Tel Aviv

Updated Jan. 31, 2013 4:47 p.m. ET

Syria and its regional allies responded with vitriol to an airstrike inside Syria that has been widely attributed to Israel, but showed no sign that they intended any immediate retaliation or escalation.

Instead, comments by Syria's allies—including Iran and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia and political group—appeared to turn the focus toward the country's bloody and deadlocked conflict, saying the attack provided an...